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With the 2013 NBA Draft approaching, Wasserman Media Group (WMG) will fight to maintain its position as the most valuable NBA sports agency in the world. Having negotiated over $1.06 billion dollars in current contracts spanning some 155 years, with a roster of almost 50 NBA clients, WMG will earn some $42.4 million dollars in commissions, plus additional millions from marketing and endorsements.

At the #3 spot is Creative Artist Agency (CAA). While it's basketball division is a quarter the size of its football practice, CAA boasts an impressive list of clients led by Leon Rose, Aaron Mintz, Henry Thomas and Steve Huemann - arguably the strongest group of agents in the business. With approximately $684 million under management, CAA clients include: Miami Heatstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh New York Knicksforward Carmelo Anthony, Los Angeles Clipperspoint guard Chris Paul, Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger and San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker.

The middle of our rankings include #5 The Landmark Sports Agency. Landmark, led by agent Rob Pelinka, is anchored by a strong roster of clients including guards Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Andre Iguodala of the Denver Nuggets. Unfortunately for Pelinka, All-Star client Kevin Durant recently left the agency to join Jay-Z's Roc Nation, although any commissions earned on his almost $90 million dollar contract should remain with Landmark.

Somewhat suprising are the positions of #6 BDA Sports Management and #8 ASM Sports. Lead by veteran agents Bill Duffy and Andy Miller respectively, both agencies have long been considered amongst the top in the practice area. With $438 million under management for BDA and $308 million for ASM, the agencies have established respectable practices, but at a slightly lower tier than their larger agency brethren. The conglomeration of mega agencies like WMG and CAA over the last several years have certainly increased competition for boutique firms when it comes to vying for the top tier of players.

Methodology:

The valuations in these rankings were compiled through extensive research into the client rosters and contracts negotiated by each agency. The total contract value under management was then multiplied by the maximum NBPA agent commission (4%). Thus, agencies are ranked in order of the maximum commissions obtainable from the negotiated contracts, instead of the total value of the contracts.

While agencies also earn income from negotiating marketing and endorsement contracts for their clients, the overall value derived from any such deals is negligible for the average player. While no concrete data exists, Forbes estimates that average professional athlete may make an additional 1-2% of their overall player contract in endorsement earnings, and their agent(s) earn just 20-25% of that.